The comments are likely to fuel the debate over public exams following repeated claims by teachers’ leaders that schoolchildren in Britain are already among the most tested in Europe.
Earlier this year, Tony Little, the headmaster of Eton, insisted the UK education system was “peculiarly uninventive” and the country must row back from its tradition of “ritualised, mechanical” exams.
But the comments were dismissed by one leading government adviser who insisted properly validated exams acted as a vital focus for pupils – as long as they are accompanied with a “broad and rich” curriculum.